Automatic gate



July 7, 1970 KlYOSHl SAKAI ET AL 3,519,993

AUTOMATIC GATE Filed March a, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS KIYOSHI SAM! EYS US. Cl. 340-149 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An automatic ticket gate providing for bi-directional passage. The gate structure defines a gateway and includes entrance and exit ticket slots at each end, a ticket tester at each slot, a conveyor belt connecting both slots, a stopper and a pair of rollers interposed between each slot and the belt, one roller of each pair engaging the belt, a centrally-located ticket reader, and a passenger detector and a barrier at each end of the gateway. The passengers deposit coded tickets into the slots. A priority memorizing circuit determines from the outputs of the genuineness detectors which genuine ticket was first inserted and supplies an appropriate output signal which lowers the stoppers, and actuates the roller pairs and belt to convey the firstinserted ticket from the insertion slot to the other slot. During the conveyance, the ticket information is sensed by the ticket reader and supplied to a collation circuit which provides an output if the information on the ticket is valid. Any output is gated to either an entrance or an exit memorizing circuit by the signal from the priority memorizing circuit to provide an appropriate inhibit signal. Depending on which direction through the gateway the passenger is traveling, the passenger detectors are actuated to provide an appropriate output signal from a passenger direction detecting circuit. An entrance and an exit inhibit circuit are provided which have as inputs the outputs from the passenger direction detecting circuit and the outputs from the entrance and exit memorizing circuits. Each inhibit circuit actuates its corresponding barrier upon occurrence of the appropriate output signal from the passenger direction detecting circuit unless an inhibit signal is also supplied thereto.

This invention relates to improvements in a ticket-operated automatic gate installed at railway stations and the like wherein a fee is generally charged for admission.

There is known an automatic gate adapted to be installed at a railway station, wherein when a passenger inserts his ticket into a slot of the gate, the validity of the inserted ticket is checked, so that the gate is opened or kept closed, or kept open or closed, depending upon the validity or invalidity of the ticket.

In such known types of automatic gates, however, the arrangement is such that passengers are allowed to pass through the gate in one predetermined direction only and not in the opposite direction. As a result, there must be provided at least two such gates oppositely directed, one for entrance and the other for exit. There may be a case, however, wherein the space available is not large enough to accommodate two such gate units. In another case, there may usually be very few passengers at one time passing the gate. In still another case, during a period of time of a day, most passengers go through the gate in one and the same direction only, while during a ditferent period of time of the day, they go in the opposite direction only. For example, during morning rush hours most people enter the station to take trains to go to work, while in the evening they come out of the station to go home. In this case, it may well happen that half of such one-way States Patent 0 "ice gates provided stand idle while the rest are being overloaded with swarming passengers. This certainly is very inefficient and uneconomical.

Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide an automatic gate adapted to be installed at a railway station and the like, which can be used for both ways.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic gate adapted to be installed at a railway station and the like, which is operable in response to tickets inserted thereinto to condition itself ready for passage there through of people in either of the opposite directions.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic side view, partly broken away, of an automatic gate embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electrical control system of the device of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an automtaic gate in the form of a structure, generally designated at 1, which is adapted to be installed at a railway station, for example, in such a manner asto define one side of a passage or gateway into or out of the station. When so installed, the structure 1 extends alongside the passage so that passengers pass thereby as they go in or out of the station. In FIG. 1, the device 1 is shown as viewed laterally, that is, in the direction transverse to the length of the device. Consequently, passengers passing by the structure 1 will be seen moving from left to right or from right to left in FIG. 1. If ingoing passengers move from left to right, that is, in the entrance direction, outgoing passengers will move from right to left, that is, in the exit direction. In the following description the words entrance and exit will be used with such connotations, respectively.

As shown, the device 1 is of a symmetrical construction with relation to a vertical transverse midplane dividing the device into two sections. The component parts in the lefthand section will be designated by the same reference numerals with a suffix a as those with a suifix b designating the corresponding component parts in the righthand section. In FIG. 3, however, except in those reference numerals already appearing in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suffixes a and b have no such positional connotations, but are indicative of operational relations of the electrical to the mechanical components.

The structure 1 is provided with a tray 2a, 2b at the top of the outer end of each section thereof at a height convenient for a passenger to put his ticket thereon. The ticket placed on one of the trays is inserted into a slot 3a, 3b formed in a hood 4 covering the interior mechanism of the device, wherein the ticket is checked with respect to its genuineness and validity and then delivered through the opposite slot onto the other tray. Just inside each slot, there is provided a ticket tester 5a, 5b for test ing the genuineness of the ticket inserted. As a test of its genuineness, the ticket may be provided with a particular metallic object embedded therein, or a mark printed with special ink, at a predetermined location on the ticket. For details of such a genuineness detector, reference should be made to US. Pat. No. 3,457,391, July 22, 1969, issued to M. Yamamoto, and entitled Vending Apparatus for Use With Credit Cards which is also assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The ticket may also be provided with necessary information such as ticket value, passenger origin, destination, the term of availability, etc. recorded in the form of magnetic inked symbols, punched holes, etc. in accordance with a predetermined code.

When the ticket tester accepts a ticket inserted through one slot, say, 3a, it will be delivered by a conveyor onto the opposite slot 3b, through which it is returned to the passenger. On the other hand, a ticket inserted through the slot 3b is conveyed by the same conveyor and returned from the slot 3a, This means that the same conveyor must move in opposite direction, and in which direction it moves is determined by which of the two ticket tester 5a or 5b has accepted a genuine ticket.

Turning to FIG. 3, when the ticket tester 5a or 5b has accepted a genuine ticket, it produces an output signal to be applied through lines 20a and 20b respectively to a priority memorizing circuit 30. When the circuit 3%) first receives the signal on the line 20a, it memorizes the priority of the signal and produces an output on a line 21a to be applied to a conveyer driving circuit 31a, the output of which drives a ticket conveying means 32 in such a direction (entrance direction) that the ticket is moved from left to right in FIG. 1, that is, when the passenger is entering the station. On the other hand, when the circuit 30 first receives the signal on the line 20b, it memorizes the priority of that input signal and produces an output signal on a line 21b to be applied to a conveyer driving circuit 31b, the output of which drives the same ticket conveying means 32 in the opposite direction exit direction) such that the ticket is conveyed from right to left in FIG. 1, that is, when the passenger is going out of the station.

Returning to FIG. 1, the ticket conveying means comprises an endless belt 12 extending substantially between and passing about an opposite pair of pulleys 11a and 11b disposed adjacent the ticket testers 5a and 5b, respectively, with a pair of rollers 9a and a, 9b and 10b interposed between each end of the belt 12 and each ticket tester 5a, 5b, for drawing in an inserted ticket onto the belt 12. The upper rollers 9a and 9b, however, are normally held spaced apart above the bottom rollers 10a and 10b, respectively. Stoppers 8a and 8b are spring-biased as at 7a and 7b so as to normally block any ticket from passing onto the belt 12. Solenoids 6a and 6b are disposed so that upon energization, they exercise an attractive force upon the stoppers 8a and 8b, respectively. The stoppers are ganged with the upper rollers 9a and 9b, respectively.

When the circuit 31a produces an output, the signal energizes both solenoids 6a and 6b, whereupon the stoppers 8a and 8b are pulled downward against the force of the springs 7a and 7b, respectively, so as to get out of the ticket path onto and from the belt 12, and at the same time the top rollers 9a and 9b are also pulled down to touch on their respective bottom rollers 10a and 10b, thereby sandwiching an inserted ticket from the slot 3a between the rollers 9a and 10a. On the other hand, the signal from the circuit 31a drives the rollers 10a, 10b and belt 12 in the entrance direction, that is, clockwise in FIG. 1 so that the inserted ticket is conveyed from left to right to be finally sent out of the opposite slot 3b onto the tray 2b. The opposite is true when the circuit 31b produces an output signal.

Intermediate the belt 12, there is provided a ticket reader 14, with rollers 13a and 13b arranged at both sides thereof. The reader 14 reads the information on the ticket as it passes by and produces corresponding signals to be applied to a collation circuit 33, wherein the information that has been read is collated with the proper reference information already memorized in the circuit 33. The ticket reader 14 is so designed as to be able to read the ticket information, in whichever direction and whatever manner the ticket is moved past the reader. If the information on the ticket is valid, the collation circuit 33 produces an output signal, which is applied to AND circuits 34a and 34b, which also receive the signals on the lines 21a and 21b from the circuit 30, respectively. Only when the two input signals coincide, the AND circuit 34a or 34b produces an output signal. The output signal from the circuit 34a is applied to an entrance valid ticket memorizing circuit 35a, and the signal from the circuit 34b, to an exit valid ticket memorizing circuit 35b. The direction in which a passenger is allowed to pass through the gate is determined by which of the circuits 35a and 35b produces an output. The outputs from the circuits 35a and 35b are applied as INHIBIT signals to entrance and exit INHIBIT circuits 36a and.36b, respectively. It may be said that each of the INHIBIT signals express one of the opposite directions in which a genuine and valid ticket is conveyed through the structure 1, that is, the direction in which a passenger is allowed to pass through the gate, therefore they may functionally be called entrance and exit passage permission signals, respectively. Also, the circuits 36a and 36b may functionally be called an entrance-exit passage control circuit, as will be understood from the following description.

Returning to FIG. 1, the structure 1 is provided with a pair of barrier bars 16a and 16b and a pair of passenger detectors 15a and 15b on the side wall of the structure facing the gateway and symmetrically arranged relative to the vertical transverse midplane. The passenger detectors may be of a photoelectric type and arranged so that they produce an output when a passenger intercepts the incident light from a light source (not shown). The detectors directly detect the direction in which the passenger passes through the gate, and indirectly operate the barrier bars 16a and 16b in the manner to be described below.

The output signals from the detectors 15a and 15b are applied through lines 23a and 23b, respectively, to a passenger direction detecting circuit 37. When a passenger intercepts the incident light on the detector 15a first and then 15b, that is, he is coming in the entrance direction, the circuit 37. produces a signal on aline 24a, while when a passenger blocks the incident light on the detector 15b first and then 15a, that is, he is coming in the exit direction, the circuit 37 produces a signal on a line 24b. The signals from the circuit 37 are alternatively applied to the circuits 36a and 36b, respectively. If no INHIBIT signal is applied to the circuit 36a or 36b, it produces an output (which may functionally be called an entrance or exit passage inhibition signal) to be applied to barrier bar operating circuits 37a or 37b, the output of which causes the bar 16b or 16a to fall down across the gateway, thereby obstructing the passenger passing therethrough.

Suppose that an ingoing passenger slips his ticket into the slot 3a. If the ticket is false or invalid, no INHIBIT signal (no entrance passage permission signal) is applied to the circuit 36a, so that as the passenger is detected by the detector 15a and then 15b, the circuit 36a produces an output (entrance passage inhibition signal), with the result that the bar 16b is driven to fall down across the gateway in front of the passenger. In like manner, if a false or invalid ticket has been inserted into the opposite slot 3b, the barrier bar 16a will close the gateway. If a passenger slips no ticket at all into the slot 3a or 3b, no INHIBIT signal is applied to the circuit 36a or 36b, with the same result as when a false or invalid ticket is inserted. On the contrary, if the ticket inserted is genuine and valid, an INHIBIT signal (passage permission signal) is applied to the circuit 36a or 36b, whereupon it produces no passage inhibition signal, so that the passenger is free to pass through the gate in the direction determined by which of the slots he has inserted his ticket into.

When the passenger direction detecting circuit 37 has received two signals from the detectors 15a and 15b, a signal is produced to be applied through a line 25 to a passage completion detecting circuit 38, the output of which is applied through a line 26 to the circuits 30, 35a and 35b to reset them to their original state ready for the next operation.

The barrier bars 16a and 16b may be normally kept closed, or replaced or accompanied by a buzzer, lam

or the like to provide an acoustic or visual warning against fraudulent passage through the gate. The two barrier bars 16a and 1612 may be replaced by a single turnstile, the rotation of which may be controlled by the outputs of the circuits 37a and 37b. The ticket testers 5a and 5b may be such that they simply detect the insertion of a ticket and do not test its validity. A switch may be inserted between one or both of the ticket testers and the circuit 30 so as to be able to selectively switch the device of the invention into operation as a one-Way gate.

What we claim is:

1. An automatic gate for a railway station and the like operable in response to a ticket inserted thereinto to condition itself ready for passage therethrough in either of the opposite directions, comprising: a structure defining a gateway at one side thereof and having a substantial length therealong; a pair of slots formed in said structure at substantially opposite ends of the extension thereof for a ticket to be selectively inserted thereinto; means provided adjacent each said slot for detecting a ticket inserted therethrough; means extending substantially between said pair of slots for conveying said inserted ticket; means for recognizing which of said two ticket detecting means has first detected insertion of a ticket; means operable in response to said recognizing means to drive said conveying means to convey said inserted ticket from the slot it was inserted to the other slot; means associated with said ticket conveying means for testing the validity of said ticket; and means operable in response to said recognizing means and said ticket validity testing means to permit passage through said gateway in the direction in which said ticket is conveyed.

2. The automatic gate as defined in claim 1, wherein said ticket detecting means also test the genuineness of said inserted ticket.

3. The automatic gate as defined in claim 1, wherein said last-mentioned means includes: means for providing a signal expressing the direction in which a person is permitted to pass through said gateway; means for detecting the direction of passage of a person through said gateway to provide a signal expressing said last-mentioned direction; means operable in response to said two direction signals to provide a signal for inhibition of passage through said gateway when said two directions expressed by said signals do not coincide; and means operable in response to said inhibition signal to block said gateway.

4. The automatic gate as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveying means includes an endless belt passing about at least a pair of pulleys disposed adjacent said pair of slots.

5. The automatic gate as defined in claim 3, whereinsaid passage direction detecting means includes a pair of photodetectors provided on the side wall of said structure facing said gateway and at locations spaced longitudinally of said structure.

6. The automatic gate as defined in claim 3, wherein said gateway blocking means comprises a pair of barrier bars provided in the side wall of said structure facing said gateway and at locations spaced longitudinally of said structure.

7. The automatic gate as defined in claim 3, wherein said gateway blocking means comprises a turnstile provided intermediate the length of said structure and having a portion thereof positioned in said gateway.

8. The automatic gate as defined in claim 3, further including means operable in response to said passage in- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,754,496 7/1956 Embry et al. 340149 2,878,684 3/1959 Kerfoot 198--l10 3,169,329 2/1965 Powers 49--35 3,386,202 6/1968 Crews et al 49- 5 THOMAS A. ROBINSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4935 

